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It gives me great sadness to tell you that Gender Across Borders will stop publishing after today, April 30, 2012. Not only have we posted the latest global feminist news and issues, but we’ve also provided a space for people to discuss global feminism for the past three years.

When I co-founded Gender Across Borders back in April 2009, one of my goals was to make a space for people to discuss feminism at an international level. But to be honest, I wanted something to fill up my free time with hopes that my family and friends would read my blog. Little did I know that I (along with other GAB team members) was filling a void in the feminist blogosphere.

In addition to filling that void, it became clear from the inception of Gender Across Borders that feminists from all around the world had something to say about gender issues. We were probably one of the only feminist blogs to offer an extensive submission and editing process, where we were privileged to work with people to get their gender justice voices heard. On behalf of the GAB team past and present, it has been a privilege to work with each and every one of our writers.

While we haven’t finished our global gender justice fight, due to several reasons, we can no longer function as the blog you are familiar with today. As fellow activist and friend Mandy Van Deven once told me, “Nothing lasts forever…that’s why we have so many beautiful ruins to visit.”

Gender Across Borders will be our beautiful ruin. We will continue to keep the site up for a number of reasons: we don’t want our work to occupy the abyss that contains now-defunct blogs. Plus, we may write updates about future global feminist/gender justice projects on the site. You can stay updated by following us on Twitter (which will be updated occasionally) and our newsletter. We will not vanish from global feminism–we are here and plan to continue our global feminist fight through other forms.

On a personal level, GAB was something that kept me going through the day. It was one of the first opportunities that not only made me a leader, but helped me to become the writer and activist that I am today. Without GAB, my life would be very different.

For all of you who want to make a difference, I am inspired by the advice that Anne Frank gave in her diary, “How wonderful it is nobody need wait a single moment before beginning to improve the world.” If you have a dream or a passion to change something, whether big or small, just do it. I have met so many activists in the gender justice world who see activism as a struggle and time-consuming, and I’m not going to disagree with that. But if you want to make a difference, don’t wait a single moment because we need you and we believe in you.

Finally, we are incredibly grateful to our readers and supporters of Gender Across Borders. Without you, Gender Across Borders would not have been possible. Thank you, and I wish you all the best of luck with everything in the future!

I’ll continue to be active in the gender justice world, and you can keep up with my updates on Twitter and Tumblr.

-Emily Heroy, Executive Editor of Gender Across Borders

Below are goodbyes from some of our GAB team members:

To say that GAB has changed my life sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I have learned so much, worked with so many interesting people, and made life-long friends. I hope to continue doing online organizing work in one form or another, and I will continue to tweet at @colleenhodgetts. I would still love to connect with other global feminists, so feel free to contact me on Twitter, especially if you are in the Bay Area!

-Colleen Hodgetts, Associate Editor

I’ve been an active part of GAB since its inception. GAB was my introduction to the social justice blogging world, and as a result, it strengthened my relationship with feminism as much as it strengthened my writing and editing skills. Writing for GAB expanded my understanding of feminism past my US borders and exposed me to issues and communities with which I may not have come into contact otherwise. Equally as important are the relationships I’ve formed as a result of writing for GAB – the friendships I’ve made with current and former GAB writers are ones that I value deeply. Though all things must eventually come to an end, I did not anticipate GAB’s end to come so soon. That said, three years is a significant amount of time in the ever-changing Internet age, when blogs come and go daily. I think all of you would agree with me that GAB has left an important, valuable mark in the gender justice blogging community and will not easily be forgotten. So thank you, to my fellow writers and to GAB’s readers and supporters, for making GAB as wonderful a community as it’s been.

-Carrie Nelson, GAB Co-Founder and Staff Writer

I have been so fortunate to be a part of the GAB community this past year. I have been able to learn so much about global gender justice, and it has been a privilege to be part of such a wonderful community. I plan on remaining a part of the internet feminist community through my own blog, Small Strokes, and my twitter feed. You can also find me on Tumblr and Pinterest. Thank you for being a part of this community.

First as a columnist, and then as a staff writer, Emily and the rest of the Gender Across Borders team have given me an amazing opportunity to continue my work on international human rights and gender justice issues post-law school, and I cannot be more grateful for that. Nor can I be more grateful for those of you who’ve read and commented on my articles about sexuality, trans identity, and queerness around the world. I’m so glad that these issues have been accepted uncritically at GAB as part of the global gender justice conversation, and that I’ve been able to introduce global feminists to some new ideas just as I’ve been learning and growing from reading everyone else’s work. You can follow my blog at Radically Queer and my Twitter @queeractivist, but I also want to draw attention to a project that might be especially of interest to GAB readers. I’ve been using Pinterest to raise awareness on a number of issues, and now that GAB is closing, I’ve created A Human Rights Class in Pins to highlight news, topics, and people that human rights advocates should know about. I hope you’ll stop by from time to time.

-Avory Faucette, Staff Writer

It has been both an honor and a privilege to be a part of the GAB community these past couple of years. I have not only expanded my interest and knowledge of global feminist issues, but through my work with GAB, I have also expanded the number of those I call allies and friends. I hope that those of you have been inspired by the various articles and series here at GAB continue to keep this important global feminist conversation going, in whatever form you choose. As for me, I’ll certainly continue to speak and write about feminism, gender, and more elsewhere. You can keep tabs on where I’m still writing and what I’m up to via Twitter or my website.

-Avital Nathman, Columnist and Comments Moderator

My story with GAB started on a bit of a whim.

After endless applications for jobs I didn’t really want, and equally as many rejections from the ones that I did want, this temporary position as a columnist on a gender equality blog was a breath of fresh air. Finally, here was an organization that embodied so many of the values and principles I believed in, and so I thought, why the hell not.

I guess you could then say that my introduction to the feminist and gender blogsphere also happened on a bit of a whim.

Being the Global Feminist Link Love columnist this past year, I have been exposed to so many facets of feminism and gender equality, be it women’s role in politics or sports, issues of self-esteem and body image, or violence and sexual identity. It has been an inspiration to read posts by such passionate women and men, and a privilege to have made a small contribution to this community which suspends judgements to listen and analyze and inform.

Global Feminist Link Love has been more than one person sitting behind a screen, and so I say with all my heart, that it was been an absolute pleasure to ‪have been a part of this wonderful and dynamic internet community‬.

Until the next time!

-Atifa Hasham, Global Feminist Link Love Columnist

Writing for Gender Across Borders for the last few years has been an honor and a privilege. I remember the excitement I felt when I read the advertisement searching for feminist writers in early 2009. At the time I had been looking for a community where I could voice my own experience with gender justice issues and where others would do the same. GAB proved to be just the place I was searching for, with an international, inter-cultural scope it allowed me to apply and expand on my own background and interests.

For the last three years I have worked with some amazing gender justice activists, always feeling encouraged and having the opportunity to learn from them. While GAB the blog will cease publishing, the activists who got their start or those who honed their skills here will no doubt continue in their efforts for a more gender-just world, each in their own way. Activism isn’t easy but it is one of the most hopeful pursuits in life. And when you work with dedicated, like-minded people as I have had the pleasure to here on GAB it is incredibly rewarding and almost addictive.

I am not sure what the future holds for me but I know that I am not nearly finished fighting for a more just world, in fact it feels more like only the beginning. The drive for an ever better humanity keeps me going, and when frustrated with slow progress I tend to think of a quote I came across many years ago “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Thank you to the entire amazing staff of GAB and of course to our dedicated readers, who ultimately gave us a reason to keep writing and posting. Look for my name on other sites and blogs as I plan to continue writing, challenging and always trying to make a difference.

-Nadia Smiecinska, Staff Writer

It’s been a pleasure working for Gender Across Borders these past few years, meeting (whether virtually, or in real life) people from around the globe with like-minded interests and getting to work with talented contributing writers that helped to make up our daily content. Though it’s unfortunate that GAB must now come to a close, we’ll all still be working in some way within this movement (and if you wish to follow my future exploits in feminism, be sure to tune into www.lfootr.com). To the readers–thank you for reading (and listening–if you were following the podcast), and to all the guys out there: don’t be dicks, be feminists.

-Kyle Bachan, Internship Director

It has been a privilege to watch Gender Across Borders grow over the years and to engage in editing and dialogue with feminists all over the world. Working with strong mentors at GAB has helped me gain the skills to launch my own project, The Provider Project: Wellness Without Apology, a blog run by radical feminists who have worked in health care as abortion workers, doulas, emergency room scribes — and supportive friends. Watch us as we criticize the current health care system and envision community-supported solutions for the future. We also have a section with audio stories from abortion providers — a kind of StoryCorps for the abortion-providing community. Check us out at www.theproviderproject.org and stay in touch with me at amy@theproviderproject.org.

-Amy Littlefield, Editor

One and a half years ago I started with Gender Across Borders. I came as a journalist, I leave as an activist, and I remain now more than ever a feminist. As a presenter said at the recent AWID conference on women’s rights in Istanbul, no movement, no matter how big, can exist in isolation. Gender Across Borders aimed to create an inclusive global feminist dialogue. In our three short years, I think we did a pretty great job. I hope that as you say goodbye to Gender Across Borders you do so as a more informed, more passionate, and more vocal global feminist activist!

8 Comments

I have learned SO MUCH from GAB. The day I discovered this blog I realised there’s a lot I need to learn and unlearn at the same time.
It is indeed sad. I hope @GABspeaks is active in tweeting relevant articles of interest.

Emily, I’m sorry to hear this news. GAB is a very necessary news source that will be missed. Thank all of you for your service and commitment to gender justice. I look forward to continuing the fight for justice with you as you write the next chapter of your life. In Solidarity, Joanne
Godspeed

It is with sadness that I hear about Gender Across Borders leaving the feminist, and, as far as my key issue is concerned, especially the LGBTIQ discourse. GAB will, to use your own expression, for sure become one of the most beautiful, and admirable ruins our diverse community leaves behind on it’s ongoing process to make this place a better world. Countless are the inspirations GAB caused, and many a discussion, no matter whether online or offline, had its beginning here at GAB. Thank you so much, Emily, and thank you all, GAB staff, writers, contributors, for being GAB, being internet activists, being a part of tomorrow. GAB made – and still makes – a difference. So there is not only sadness, but as well pure happiness about everything you contributed to our community for the last three years. Farewell.

Thank you all for the work you have done! Thank you for moving us closer to a world where gender equality is a reality. Thank you for exploring issues of gender that much of the world is afraid of. Thank you for pushing people to open their minds about gender stereotypes and gender identity worldwide. I am sorry to see Gender Across Borders end, but know you will all be out there continuing with your activism and that in itself is both inspiring and motivating. In solidarity- Liza Wolff-Francis, Matrifocal Point

Wait, what?! This can’t be happening! GAB has filled such an important gap in the blogosphere, and has been such a huge resource to me. I’m so sad to see it go, I really hope something comes up in its place.

I am deeply saddened to hear of the end of GAB! This has been an incredible space as there are few blogs discussing international feminism issues with such critical voice. It’s been a great blog and I’m sad to see it go.